Apparatus for spraying liquid



-Spt. 15, 1942. D. P. HUNTER 2,295,661.v APPARATUS FOR SPRAYINGILIQUID l Filed Oct.. 7, 1940 Patented Sept. 15, V1942 Donald P. Hunter, Los

to Turco Products, Inc.,

Angeles, Calif., assignor Los Angeles County,

Calif., a corporation of California Application October '7, 1940, Serial No. 360,022

(o1. zee si) l Claim.

My invention relates to liquid spray devices and methods of controlling the suction on an orice in a iiuid passing conduit and, more particularly, it has to do with spray devices in which a cleaning solution is formed by utilizing a structure wherein the main fluid streamssuch as air and water-function to create a vacuum to siphon from a container a metered amount of cleaning solution for admixing with the fluid stream. In prior devices of this nature a shortcoming has been that with Varying water pressures it is practically impossible to maintain a uniform and accurately proportioned solution because if sufficient pressure is maintained to properly atomize the spray, the cleaning uid is too rapidly siphoned from its container. Another shortcoming of prior devices has been that without the use of manual control valves for the purpose, it is impossible to spray and properly atomize a rinsing spray free of cleaning solution.

It is therefore among the principal objects of my invention to provide a spray device of this character in which a uniform and accurately proportioned cleaning solution is maintained. It is a further object to provide a device of this kind having automatic means for closing off the Siphon line when desired,

Another object is the provision of a spray device which is economical of manufacture, simple to operate, which is readily disassembled for cleaning purposes and which provides proper atomization.

Another object is the provision of a device Aof this character wherein atmospheric air may be drawn into the device through the siphon line to increase the air Volume for certain uses.

Other objects and corresponding accomplishments will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of one presently preferred adaptation of my invention, for which purpose I shall refer to the acompanying drawing, in which the single figure is a longitudinal sectional View partly in elevation. Y

In general, the foregoing objects are accomplished by utilizing the elements and the combinations and associations thereof now to be described.

Referring noW to the drawing, I show at a body having a handle portion 6 and a barrel portion 1, so designed as to be conveniently held in one hand by the operator, there being a projection 8 at the rear of the handle near the top for engagement by the top edge of the hand to act as a stop, that is, in use, the handle sometimes' becomes wet and vslippery but in my device, since the hand grips the handle lbetween projection 8 and the enlarged bottom end of the handle, a firm grip is provided. An opening 9 on the top of the barrel serves for hanging purposes. Within the handle portion 5, I provide a longitudinal water passage I5 and a relatively smaller longitudinal air passage I6. Passageway I5 communicates at its discharge end with a passageway I'I extending longitudinally in the barrel, passageway I'I being of arelativelylarger diameter than is the diameter of passageway I5. Passageways I5, I1 communicate with each other at an anglev so that the water entering passageway llwill be given a swirling motion. i

In mypreferred structureLpassageway I5 has a diameter of the order of 3%" and passageway I1 is of the order of 1/2" interior diameter.r Air passagewayV I6 is'closed at its lower end by a threaded plug 20, and an inlet passageway 2| of slightly smaller diameter communicates at its discharge end with passageway I6. In my preferred structure, passageway 2l has a diameter of the order of gif" 'while passageway I6 has a diametertof the order of l/g.

A plug 25 is screwed into a threaded bore '26 in the body, said plug having a head 21 for the reception of a wrench or tool. Plug 25 has, in register with passageway I6, an annular groove 28 and from the bottom of this groove a reduced passageway 30 communicates with a relatively larger longitudinal central bore 3|, which latter bore isV enlarged at 32 at and adjacent its outer end and is internally threaded to receive an air passing tube 33. In my preferred construction, the relative diametersof passageways 30 and 3l are of the order of passageways I6 and 2l and the interior diameter of tube 33 is preferably of the order of 6/32. Tube 33 extends longitudinally and concentrically of passageway l1 andterminates short of the outer end of said passageway to provide an expansion chamber 35 for the purposes to be later described. Tube 33 reduces the cross-sectional area of passageway I1 inwardly from the chamber 35. Nozzle tube 40, which is tapered to flare outwardly at its inner end 4I and its outer end 42, is threaded into the discharge end of passageway I'I, the inner end 4I terminating short of the discharge end of tube 33 to provide the expansion chamber 35 therebetween. The bore of tube 40 is relatively smaller in diameter than passageway I1 to provide sufficient restriction at the outer end of passageway II for the purposes to be hereinafter explained. In my preferred construction, the bore of tube 46 is of the order of and is substantially 3" in length, and the discharge end of tube 33 is spaced from nozzle tube end 4I a distance of substantially An adapter has a reduced top end 5| threaded into a correspondingly threaded opening 52 in the body, said opening 52 communicating at its reduced top' end 52a withpassageway I1, and adapter 50 has an internally threaded lower end 53 to receive the threaded upper end 54 of a container cap adapter 55, there being a central bore through adapter 55 and acommunicating bore 6| leading through adapter 50. Bore 6| is enlarged at its top end and the shoulder portion of other gasket 'Il is provided between the adapter 50 and the top end of the adapter 55. The lower end of adapter 55 is reduced in diameter and threaded into the-top I5 of a jar or other cleaning solution container 16, a lock nut 'I1 being screwed onto the lower threaded end of the adapter 55.'- A feed tube 80 isthreadedly connected at its upper end in the bore 6D, with which it communicatesand is closed at its lower end by threaded plug 8| there being a restricted opening BZf-through the side wall of the tube adjacent the -upper end of the plug 8| so that by screwing plug 8| into and out of the bore of tube 80 the entry of cleaning solution into the tube through the opening 82 may-befvariablly controlled. In my preferred device, theinterior diameter of tube is of the order 01935-2. Container 16 is exposed to atmosphere by -meansof opening 84.

Into the threaded:inlet end of passagewayY l5 a nipple is threaded to connect thereto a hand operated valve 86 of conventional structure and to the inlet end of the valve asuitable hose connection 81 is provided. The inletend of passageway 2| is enlarged and'internally threaded to receive a nipple 88 to connect thereto a hand operated valve 69 of conventional structure and at the inlet end of the-valve 'member a'suitable hose connection is provided. In each of the hose connections 81 and Sya'suitable gasket 9| (only the gasket for connection' `being shown) is provided.

From the foregoing description, it will be observed that I so proportion and position the parts that with a substantially constant air velocity through tube 33 it will expand somewhat in chamber 35 and pass out freely through the Vconcentric discharge tube 4U creatinga suction on orice 52a. Then by manual control of the `water valve 86, a relatively small amount of water isliowed through passageway |'I into chamber 35 where it is picked up by the air, streamof relatively greater velocity-a velocity suicient to properlyatomize the stream. Assuming, for instance, that it is desired to admix say an ounce of cleaning material with each two gallons of water, discharge tube 46 is so proportioned as to length or internal diameter or both as to provide such a resistance that when the water 64 to'provideaconi-Y cal seat 65 for a downwardly seating 'ball` valve-` 66. A gasket 'l0 is provided between thee-bodyadapter 50 and anstream through passageway |'I reaches proportions greater than is desired for the mixture, a back pressure will be created on orifice 52a sufficient to seat valve 66 and close 01T the entry of cleaning material so long as the water volume remains at or above that point. When this happens, if it is desired to continue the admixing of cleaning material with the spray, the operator simply operates valve 86 to reduce the water stream to a point at which no back pressure takes place. Also, if the operator then wishes a rinsing spray free of cleaning material, he simply opens valve 86 to a point suflicient to create back pressure on valve 66 to seat that valve.

Us'ingthe -relative proportions of parts above described and -air pressure of the order of lbs. Vand-water pressure of the order of 40 lbs., my device will deliver approximately one ounce of cleaning solution per minute so long as no more-than approximately two gallonsof water per minute isvbeing` deliveredto passageway I1.

When` it is desired-to use .the air stream alone to blow oli the vehicle or the like. being washed, the -volumecfair stream can-be materially increased Vby-removingadapter 50 or adapter 55, or both, thus .exposing the inlet side of orifice 52a-to atmosphere, from which additionalair is suckedin to beadmixed with the airpassing from tube 33.

Of course with a given capacity of passageway il, the point at whichY back pressure on orice 52a will take place may be varied by varying the length or internal diameter of the discharge tube 46.

While in the foregoing I have described speciiic proportions-and associations ofpartswhich I haveV found desirable for particular uses, I wish it understood that variousr modications and adaptations mayV be made-therein within the broader scope and spirit of my invention as defined by the appended claim.-

I claim:

A device for1mixing1and spraying fluids comprising. a body havingla iiuidfpassagewaytherein, a fluid Yinlet discharging tangentially into the inlet end of said `fluid passageway; a restricted outlet tube detachably.mountediinJand concentric with the discharge 1 end :of: ftheiiuid' .passageway, a-uid passing tube mountedconcentrically in the id passagewayandhavingiits discharge end adjacent to but spaced inwardly fromxthe restricted outlet whereby to provide a mixingchamber .Y therebetween,` Ianlaspirating'. passageway in the body'communicating withLthe fluid passageway at a point adjacent the Amixture chamber, a solution reservoirfmeans establishing communication between` the solution reservoir,l and the aspirating-passageway; aball check valve in the aspirating passageway adapted toY be actuated by pressure differential betweenthe discharge end-of the aspirating-passageway andthe reservoir, and means -for/ regulatingfiow of fluid through said fiu'idpassageway whereby to vary said pressure differential..

DONALD'P. HUNTER.- 

